Postgraduate Publishing studies at Edinburgh Napier University. INDUSTRY APPROVED Publishing degrees (accredited by the Professional Publishers Association and Creative Skillset). MSc Publishing was the first Publishing programme in the UK to be accredited by the Professional Publishers Association (PPA). It is now accredited by Creative Skillset (only one of two courses to hold this award). MSc Magazine Publishing is the only course of its kind in Scotland and is the only publishing course in the UK to be accredited by the PPA. The PPA is the lead body for best practice in training, development and people management for the magazine and business media industry.

Black & White Publishing

My placement took me down to the shore in Leith to Black & White Publishing. They are an independent publisher focusing predominantly on books with a Scottish interest. Their titles include both fiction and non-fiction and range from Young Adult to sports to true crime.

During my time there I had the opportunity to work on a number of different projects. I compiled links of reviews for use, updated social media, contacted customers, processed orders and sent out review copies. These tasks provided me the chance to witness a number of the ways in which publishers connect with their target audience to promote their books.

Having a keen interest in Editorial meant I was excited to hear that I would be able to read the unsolicited submissions that Black & White receive. Many publishers no longer accept these so it was a great opportunity to be able to do this!

Image courtesy of Black & White Publishing

I was also given the chance to proofread one of their upcoming titles, Knit Your Own Britain, the follow up to last year’s Knit Your Own Scotland. This was very different to any proofreading that I have done before as it was mostly knitting patterns which proved challenging but was an excellent opportunity to test myself!

Another exciting aspect for a book lover like me was that I was asked to read a number of upcoming books and I am really looking forward to seeing all of these projects when they are published later this year.

My time at Black & White was a great chance to apply the skills that I have gained as part of my MSc and put them to use in a publishing environment. I would highly recommend a placement with them and thank you to the team for having me!

If you want to find out more about Black & White Publishing you can visit their website, and follow them on Twitter and Facebook.